Maintenance of sporting clay grounds at universities

Abstract

Many sporting clay grounds at universities are not dedicated to a specific use, but instead shared by multiple clubs. The aim of this study was to clarify the current status for the maintenance of the condition of multipurpose clay grounds at universities. The level of two university clay grounds (ground T, 81 × 111 m; ground R, 92 × 91 m) was measured using an electronic digital level. Ground conditions (ground leveling, injury occurrence, awareness of ground conditions, etc.) were also investigated by a questionnaire given to players and seven club representatives who used the two surveyed grounds. The results were as follows. Ground T gradually sloped downward toward its edge from its center, and Ground R gradually sloped downward from its baseball diamond concentrically toward the edge. Ground T had some relatively large unevenness in the area of the baseball diamond, but no unevenness was seen in Ground R. The differences in the ground conditions were attributed to differences in awareness among club members of the ground leveling method and appropriate use of the grounds. A user of ground T had concerns about the prominence of buried ground markers and ground unevenness, and a user of ground R was concerned about ground unevenness and poor drainage. Both these users reported injuries due to these ground defects.